A Small Change
by tovarishchStalin
Summary: Just a short scene between Anakin and Padmé some time during the war, likely close to the end, near RotS. As the title implies, there is a small change in what happens which may, or may not, have massive ramifications.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Depending on your reception to this, I may continue the story. Although, if you'd prefer that this ending remains ambiguous for the greater story, say so in the reviews. I wrote this mostly on a whim after getting some divine inspiration, and wrote it all in one sitting. Thusly, there's the good chance that some of the characters aren't acting as they would in cannon, or possibly in a cliche manner (The way Padmé is acting in this short isn't exactly what I'd like for her character as a supposedly strong, independent, placid individual. She feels too Mary Sue, I think.) Keep that in mind as you read. **

A Small Change

Chapter 1

The clear night sky of Coruscant was cast in a silvery glow as the four local moons passed by on their distant orbit of the city-planet. This dim, omnipresent luminescence covered the planet's near-infinite skyscrapers, each seemingly covered in transparisteel glass and reflective durasteel. On one such skyscraper, in the rounded shape of an egg featuring several terraced layers, a small, yellow speeder veered off from its path in the speeder lane nearby and docked within.

Within one of the many suites, a large, dark bedroom with more than a handful of furniture contained a sleeping woman. Her beautiful face, covered by curly brunette hair and featured with large, pink lips, lay on her right arm on the left side of the plush bed, facing the the closed and shuttered transparisteel window. The velvety, purple sheets covered the rest of her petite, presumably clothed body.

At the foot of her roofed bed stood a small, wooden chest, locked with a padlock between the top and the body, and reaching three-fourths the height of the cushiony bed next to it. Across the room, to the right of the door from her perspective, stood a book case some two and a half meters high, filled to the brim with various datapads and dusty leather-bound flimsiplast books. To its left, a dresser with a velvet-cushioned resting chair lacking a back, and a meter-high mirror against the wall. On both sides of the chair, which was resting below an enclave of the dresser, were four pairs of small cabinets, each with a shining bronze handle. Spread across the dresser's top was a neatly arranged series of perfumes, lipsticks, nail polish, and more; all with various colors or scents in neatly regimented sections and arranged by some pattern. On the far left wall, opposite the expansive glass of the right wall, was a closet of some kind, with the classic duel pair wooden doors with bronze handles on the two middle sections, the right one having been recently opened, revealing a dark interior.

Suddenly, the woman's face scrunched up in confusion before her eyes opened, revealing her light-brown irises. She sat up immediately, staring at the door as she remained silent and motionless. The faint sound of her quickening breath was the only noise that filled the room despite the seemingly fast-moving speeder lanes in front of her window.

The next instant, the door opened to reveal the dark shape of a tall, masculine figure. His, presumably a male, broad shoulders were covered in some black leather vest and brown shirt. The same brown shirt extended down to cover the whole of his torso and seemingly ended at his mid-thigh after passing by a black utility belt. His legs were covered in a similarly brown trousers, ending with a pair of polished, black, military-grade boots with three straps across the front sole. His right hand was covered in some black leather glove and remained open, palm down. His left hand, uncovered by anything, was similarly open, plainly revealing his bronzed, calloused skin. Resting atop his head and cascading down to just above his shoulders were dark blond locks, haloing his similarly tan head and neck. Almost shining through the darkness within this illuminated halo was a pair of soft, bright blue eyes.

"Ani." she faintly whispered, just barley loud enough to be heard by him.

He bowed his head in mock sorrow, "I'm sorry for waking you milady."

Despite her rapidly quickening breath, she smiled and ordered, "Get over here, now!"

The figure visibly smiled and walked in, revealing in the silver glow of the room his chiseled face and muscular body, a small silver cylinder resting on the right side of his hip and bouncing with every long stride. She practically scrambled out of the bed as he neared, revealing her deep purple velvet pajamas. She was almost coming to a sprint in two strides before they clashed in the middle. Their arms were wrapped around each other before an instant could pass, each burying themselves in the other as they held each other close. Both seemingly held back tears, some breaking through and shining brightly in the night.

Through ragged breaths she said into his chest, "Gods, have I missed you!"

Through the muffle that was the hair he buried his face in, he replied with equal difficulty, "Not nearly as much as I've missed you."

They separated, only enough to look into each other's eyes, seemingly lost in their depths. Slowly their faces neared until, with their eyes coming to a complete close, their lips met. This chaste meeting grew more and more passionate for each second which passed, evolving into hungry, lustful kisses. Before long, their lips separated, each breath as deep as the endless city beyond, as if they had run a marathon, and they rested their foreheads on each other. Together they gave wide and loving smiles as they lost themselves into each other's eyes once more.

It hardly took them a second before they went to work removing each other's clothing, the man working on her top at the bottom seem while nipping and kissing at her neck and shoulder. All this while she was working on removing the belt at his hip while simultaneously biting into his ear and kissing his neck and chin. Before long, they were in bed in little more than what they were born with, doing as married couples often do.

XXX

Some hours later, seemingly deeper into the night, the man from earlier stood roughly at parade-rest, his hands clasped firmly on the small of his back while his legs were shoulder-length apart, while on the balcony. Behind him was the open air living room, a single beige-cushioned couch and a similarly cushioned pair of chairs resting in the middle of the purple rug with a low, wide, glass table, standing on a single cast iron stand which spiraled from the middle in the direction of the glass and the floor, resembling an ancient tree in appearance. Green and indigo drapes were tied off on each side of the threshold to the wide balcony, several short gold-colored ropes tying up the drapes at several places along the rounded wall within arm's reach. Directly behind the man was a closed, bright durasteel door, both sides coming together at the middle. To the left from his rear direction would be a dark, barely illuminated staircase, a black shroud concealing everything beyond a meter from the threshold. To the right of the door, a small kitchenette with a raised island connected to the wall dividing the areas. Within were a myriad of devices common in most upper-class kitchens, and more than a handful of cabinets containing a wide variety of foods and kitchenware, no doubt.

The man himself was covered in a black, velvet sleeping shirt and brown pair of loose pants. The shirt, featuring three buttons at the top near the uncollared neck, was left mostly unbuttoned, revealing a good portion of his upper chest. His eyes remained closed as if in deep concentration, his face similarly placid, as he delved deeper into the Force.

The faint sound of footfalls soon filled his ears as someone seemingly tip-toed down the steps. A faint smile graced his face as the figure of the woman broke through the darkness and into the silver light. Her eyes immediately focused on him as she paused for just an instant. Then her face bore a mischievous smirk as she continued to attempt to move silently towards him with slow, measured steps. Before long, she was a little more than half a meter from him, and she reared back slightly, almost ready to pounce. As she jumped up to get him, he turned in the blink of an eye and pushed his hands forward to catch her as she quickly began to descend on top of him, giggling like a schoolgirl. Once he caught her, he pulled her close and spun her around, going in a full circle before kneeling down, putting himself above her. He gently laid her down on the floor, all while bashfully smiling at her while she still laughed.

As he slowly neared her face, he asked, "You know you can't surprise a Jedi."

"Worth a shot." She replied while raising her head herself, closing her eyes slowly in anticipation of what was to come.

Mere millimeters apart, he stopped and, while keeping his eyes closed, he responded, "Gonna need to do better than that."

He then pulled back, pulling her up with her arms as he rose. She quickly came to her feat, a deep pout marring her countenance as she let her eyes remain downcast in mock disappointment. He laughed softly and, using his right, prosthetic index finger, he raised her chin just enough to make eye contact with her. Before long, her pout was replaced with a smile, as seductive as it was loving. Then, just before he could comprehend was going on, she jumped in and kissed him on the lips for just an instant before pulling back, a satisfied grin now adorning her features.

"Gotcha!" she replied arrogantly.

Before she could do anything else, he pulled her in close and pulled their lips together, hunger and desire lacing every movement. As he pulled back to continue his previous activity on her bare shoulder, she put her hand on his shoulders, stopping him instantly.

"Hold on." She said shakily, already out of breath, "We do need to talk."

He pulled back, the pout now on his face as he replied dejectedly, "You get me all excited then-"

"Don't worry," she interrupted, placing her hands on his cheeks as she smiled, "We'll pick up where we left off once we're done."

He then picked her up bridal-style, carrying her quickly to the couch amidst her constant chuckles, and set her down on his lap once he took a seat.

"Alright," he started while pulling her closer with his hands at her waist, "Let's get started."

"Stop!" she playfully ordered while lightly slapping his chest with her right hand, allowing it to get caught by his much larger one while over his heart, "This is serious."

His brow furrowed and lips thinned as he said confidently, "I can be serious."

"Ani…" she began more seriously.

He rolled his eyes, "Alright," then set her down next to him, keeping his right arm around her waist while her hand remained over his heart, covered by his left. All the while her left hand moved up to begin softly stroking his cheek, causing him to nuzzle into the delicate touch for just a brief moment.

She began slowly, choosing each word carefully, "I think we should start talking about the nightmares you're having, what they might mea-"

He sighed heavily, "Come on Padmé. Let's not do this now when I just came home."

"No Anakin," she replied defiantly, "I'm not going to ignore this."

She continued with a concerned tone, "I'm worried about you, and I'd wish you'd talk to me about them."

"Talk about what?" he responded defensively, "It isn't a problem or anything. Jedi don't even have nightmares."

"Don't do that to me, Anakin." She said strongly, hurt lacing its way through her tone, "Don't shut me out. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" he replied breathlessly, as if he'd taken a punch form a wookie, "I trust you with my life."

"Then trust me with your problems." She near begged.

"We're a team," she began to explain, "When we got married, we made a pact, a solemn vow. That we share _everything_. That a problem for one of us is a problem for both of us. That we bare every burden together. That we work together!"

She quieted after her speech, Anakin seemingly unable to respond before she could continue, "How can I let you help me overcome my obstacles when you won't let me do the same for you?"

"Because," he began, seemingly desperate to explain to her why, "how can I possibly burden you any more? How is it fair that I make you worry any more when the HoloNet says I died again? How is it fair that you need to worry about me and my problems when you have an entire Senate, a whole galaxy to worry about?"

A small smile graced her face as her thumb rubbed back and forth across his cheek, "Because you matter to me more than everything else."

He ducked his head, a small smile of his own spreading across his face, "I love you too much to make you suffer more."

She leaned in more, and said, desperately trying to get her point across, "But you make me worry by not letting me in! All I can do is think the worst when you won't confide in me, when you won't _trust_ me."

"This marriage," she said as if giving a lesson, "is built on lies and secrecy towards everyone else. Don't let that secrecy get between us. It will only push us apart."

She pulled her left hand down to rest atop his over his heart, gripping it as she continued, "The only way we can have a long and happy marriage is if we work together."

A long, pregnant pause followed where neither said a word, the only sound being the passing speeders beyond and soft breaths between the two lovers.

Said silence came to an equally abrupt ending when Anakin said, "How do you do that?"

Her brow furrowed and she tilted her head to the side slightly as she asked, "What do you mean?"

He looked back into her soul's mirrors as he replied lovingly, "How is it that you can make me feel like an idiot and still make me love you more?"

She rolled her eyes, "Typical Anakin response."

He appeared dissatisfied with that response, as evident with his scrunched up face, and he replied, "I thought you liked my wit."

"Oh honey." She said with a big grin, then leaned in for a chaste kiss.

She continued after the peck, "You don't have any wit."

His eyes narrowed, and if it were not for the slightly upturned lips, one might say he was angered as he said sarcastically, "Funny, Angel. Real funny."

"So about that dream-" she pushed on.

He sighed again, prompting her to respond angrily, "Anakin."

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely, "You're right. I need to be more open."

He tipped his head back, as if thinking, while she continued to gaze at him expectedly, waiting for his response as he gathered his words, "I was dreaming of…well…you."

"Ani." She whined, which he quickly responded defensively with, "No, Padmé, I'm being serious. You were on a medical cot, and it was white all around you. You were giving birth, I think, I-I don't know. You were moaning in pain though."

He looked off in the distance for just a moment, "Deep, deep pain."

He looked down to see her eyes had widened considerably, prompting him to bring his eyebrows together and open his mouth, only to be cut off with, "I was pregnant?"

"Yes." He smiled at the thought, "You were pregnant."

A wondrous smile began forming on her face as she asked, "With our baby?"

"I would hope so." He responded obviously.

She glared at him, causing him to continue as if he wasn't interrupted with, "You were screaming for me. I-I don't think I was there."

Before she could form any questions he pressed on, "It all changed, then, to somewhere else. I think it was the Chancellor's office. I was there, kneeling before someone with a black robe. The room look destroyed. We were talking, I think, I don't know. I couldn't hear anything there."

He took a moment to wait before he continued, Padmé latched onto every word, her mouth agape in horror as he pressed on, "Then I was walking up the steps of the Temple, the five-oh-first behind me. Then…fire. Fire and chaos and…death."

He paused again, collecting himself before continuing, "Then there was this…noise. Something raspy, mechanical. Kinda reminded me of Grievous."

"By the Force." She whispered, shocked at all that had been revealed.

"I don't know what it means." he said dejectedly, "I don't know if it's just a dream or if the Force is telling me something. If it's a vision…"

"Ani," she said strongly, commanding his attention as she brought both hands off his chest and onto his face, forcing him to look at her as she continued, "I don't know either, but you need to tell someone about this. Maybe Obi-Wan-"

"No." he responded quickly, "Obi-Wan'll ask too many questions. He'll wonder why you're in my dreams, and why you're screaming for me."

Her voice softened, "Then tell him the truth."

Before he could reply, she put her right index finger at his mouth, stopping him, "The whole truth. He should've known from the beginning."

He lightly gripped her hand with his left, pulling it off while saying, "How will that look on him if his old student is expelled from the Order? What future will he have if he reports it, and he'll have to report it."

She stared at him, the look in her eyes silencing him once more, "You and I both know we can trust Obi-Wan with this secret. You've said yourself you love him like a brother."

"I do." He said with certainty.

"Then you can trust him."

"Besides," she said offhandedly, "You need someone to talk to about your married life. I don't think I would last if I couldn't talk to my handmaidens about us."

He appeared as if he was going to say something, but chose otherwise, a look of confusion gracing his features as he questioned, "What have you guys been talking about?"

"Oh, nothing," she said while looking at her nails, then the traffic outside, "Just, you know. Jedi and their lightsabers."

His left eyebrow rose as he responded, "I hope you're being literal."

She appeared to think about it, then answered slowly, sage-like, "From a certain point-of-view."

He rolled his eyes, turning to rest his full back against the comfortable cushions, "Great! You're starting to sound like him too."

"So you'll tell him?" she inquired.

He sighed in defeat, "Yeah. I'll tell him first thing tomorrow."

She smiled brightly, "Thank you, Ani."

He returned the smile, "Anything for you, Angel."

Slowly, they neared again, their lips meeting in the middle in a seemingly innocent embrace. The next instant, they became more ravenous for each other, both clinging to the other as if their lives depended on it. It would seem they wouldn't be getting much sleep this night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sky above the city-planet was cast in a deep purple hue as the third of the four moons dipped below the horizon. Standing together on a balcony toward the middle of a large, rounded skyscraper were two human figures, one seemingly a male and another a female. The male was covered from head to toe in a coarse, brown Jedi robe, the hood pulled up and the bottom spilling out over the floor behind him. Standing before him was the petite Padmé, clad in little more than a robe tied tightly from the hip with a sky-blue silk sash which complimented the equally pale blue silk gown. Together they remained in each others arms, basking in the other's presence as the rising sun cast a golden halo around them.

They then pulled back from their embrace, allowing Padmé to look up into the darkness of the hood, "You better be home by the time I come back."

"I'll be back by thirteen hundred hours, I promise." he assured.

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion, a curious smirk spreading across her face, "What are you going to do with all that extra time?"

He shrugged, "It's a...surprise."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, "As long as it's not dinner again."

His shoulders visibly slumped following that, and he grumbled just loud enough for her to hear while crossing his arms, "Had to ruin it."

"Aw, Ani." she replied, rubbing his shoulders into relaxation and prompting his arms to return to his side, "I'm sorry I ruined your surprise."

He sighed, then continued to mumble, "Doesn't even appreciate my acts of love."

"Of course I appreciate them honey." she assured, moving in closer, "I would just appreciate them more if they were, oh, I don't know... edible."

"My meals are perfectly edible." He said with complete conviction.

She pulled back just a hair, her smile seemingly growing as their interaction continued, "Maybe to someone who hasn't eaten anything but military rations for the past two months."

He turned to the right away from her, facing away from the rising sun, "Maybe I just won't make you anything if you'll be like that."

"Sure you won't." she agreed sarcastically while moving as close as she could, placing her left hand within the hood to turn the head within to look down at her.

Without instruction, they moved together slowly, her eyes closing more and more as their faces approached before meeting in the middle. There they stayed, seemingly stuck in time, their arms snaking their way around each other as they returned to their original position.

Then, perhaps too quickly, they separated, and while Padmé was still mere centimeters from his lips, she whispered, "Just make sure Threepio helps."

With the hood pulled back slightly, everything below his nose was cast in the brilliant glow of the morning sun, revealing his bashful, almost stupid grin as he replied, "I'll try not to burn anything...again."

In lieu of responding, she merely stayed there in his arms, looking lovingly up into his cloaked eyes while he returned the favor. As the seconds ticked by, the sound of speeders slowly filled their hearing, having been ignored since their first embrace.

She sighed heavily, "I shouldn't hold you up anymore. You'll be late."

He shook his head, his grin becoming decidedly more mischievous, "Please do. At this rate, I won't even have to talk to Obi-Wan today."

"Now we can't have that, can we?" she said while smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in his robe.

His grin fell to form little more than the ghost of a smile, "I suppose not."

He leaned down and pecked her on the lips, then said when they were just millimeters apart, "I love you with all my heart, Angel."

She smiled fully at his romantic declaration, and replied with content sincerity, "And I love you with all my soul, Ani."

He turned and jumped over the nearby railing, landing perfectly into the driver's seat of the two-person, yellow speeder. Her eyes followed the craft as it deftly turned towards the giant, five spired ziggurat in the distance. Far too quickly for her tastes, the red rear lights of the slim flying craft disappeared into the kilometer-wide speeder lane some two kilometers away from the building he departed from. As she stood there, alone, her arms were left grasping at the opposite sleeves of her robe, her love-struck smile faded more and more before she took one last, large breath and turned to face the opened door leading to her living room. Composing herself, she seemingly put on an impassive mask as she strode confidently into her apartment, each step as measured and graceful as the one before it. Behind her, the automatic doors closed, sealing the room and allowing her to begin preparing for the day ahead. As he whipped through traffic, young Anakin, his face now revealed as the hood flew back from his tremendous speed, he whipped away a single tear which fell from his watery eyes before composing himself as well. Within moments, he veered to the right from his place in the far right lane, following the blinking red lights directing him to the ziggurat seen before.

XXX

Walking with his hands clasped firmly on the small of his back was a human male, his steps slow and relaxed. His pale, almost grey, blue eyes stared forward into nothing, his focus apparently on something else. Atop his high-held head was a full mane of auburn hair with several grey hairs mingled with the rest, barely visible against the rusty background. Surrounding his thinly pursed mouth was a similarly ginger goatee, each small hair organized and maintained as if hours of service were devoted to its appearance. Covering his broad, muscular torso was a light beige tunic, a white undershirt appearing from beneath the collar and at the ends of his sleeves. This tunic extending beyond the black utility belt fastened around his hip, forming a small skirt, beyond which was a pair of equally light-colored trousers. Covering everything from his shins down was a pair of military-grade brown boots, more than a handful of straps along the front sole. Silently swaying at his right hip was a small silver cylinder with a variety of buttons and knobs of various colors spread across its small surface.

Each footfall reverberated off of the nearby marble walls on his right and left. The hallway itself was no more than five or six meters in width, yet stretched on for well over a hundred meters before him in a straight line. Along the right and left walls, equidistant from each other was a seemingly never-ending supply of durasteel doors, a small plaque at eye-level to the right of each one denoting the room number and the residents in Galactic Basic. Above, artificial lights illuminated every square centimeter in a brilliant yellow-white light, forcing away every shadow save for the one hiding beneath the man's feet.

Suddenly, breaking through the serene atmosphere, a pair of hurried footfalls from behind grew and grew steadily in volume. The man stopped and turned to witness who was causing such a ruckus when Anakin, his robe flying behind him, rushed around the corner, only to stop when he eyed the human. Despite the great distance separating them, the pale-skinned man could still easily hear the younger man's ragged breath.

Within seconds, Anakin composed himself, walking much like his compatriot was just moments earlier with his hands clasped firmly together on the small of his back. Each step was confident and calculated, and his head was held high as he approached the still figure, who by now had crossed his arms and turned his body to focus on the new arrival.

Once they were mere meters apart, the young man inclined his head and said respectfully, "Master."

The master merely shook his head, replying while stepping in concert with Anakin with a thick, Coruscanti accent, "Padawan."

As they continued to walk, Anakin shot the older man an annoyed look, his eyebrows furrowed and lips thinned, "I'm not your Padawan anymore."

"And I'm not your master anymore," he responded while still looking forward as he did earlier, "yet you still insist on using our old titles."

Anakin shrugged, "Force of habit, I suppose."

"A habit I would hope my young apprentice would break by now." he replied stoically, the faintest hint of amusement hidden beneath in his tone.

When Anakin failed to say anything, the ginger male asked, "Am I correct in assuming you were running around because you forgot about the war meeting?"

Anakin cringed, "I was hoping I could find you first."

The older man raised his left eyebrow questioningly at this, "So you didn't forget."

Anakin nodded, "Oh, I did."

The older man sighed as he returned his focus forward, "Thankfully, that's where I'm going."

"Good." Anakin replied neutrally, his face the very definition of calm and collected.

As the following silence dragged on, the older man asked slowly, "So why were you in such a rush to find me?"

At this point, the pair turned left at a T intersection in the corridors before stepping into a nearby lift on the left. Anakin pressed down on the top button, causing it to light up in a bright green light, before stepping back to the older man's side.

After waiting another moment to collect his thoughts, Anakin said, "I'll tell you after the meeting when I can find a more..._private_ area to discuss with you what I must."

"Hm," the older human said while knitting his brow together in confusion, "I have the feeling I'm not going to like what you plan on saying."

Anakin shrugged as the doors opened, revealing a transparisteel-walled lift, a pair of waist-high durasteel railings running along the length of the right and left walls and a brilliant cityscape beyond, "That's to be seen."

Once they entered, the older human pressed down on a button along the right side on a panel with dozens of other buttons arranged in three vertical columns, a number in Galactic basic reading "1" to "60". Above the now closing doors was a panel which read in bright, digital red the floor number, now displaying "22".

"Just tell me," he began as the doors closed completely, "how serious is your crime this time?"

Anakin turned to look at his friend offended, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The ginger turned his head to look at his young comrade, "It means you have a knack for doing things you're not supposed to do."

He then turned to look forward at the durasteel doors, "And you love to drag me down with you."

Anakin turned his body towards him, his brow deepened and arms crossed, "When have I ever-"

Cutting him off, the older man said, "Anakin, there isn't enough time between now and the meeting to list off all the instances of you mading me an accomplice in one of your escapades."

Anakin opened his mouth to reply, but closed it a moment later when nothing was said, opting to turn to face the doors again and reply several moments later, "I wouldn't call them _escapades._"

"Oh?" the greying man asked, looking to the side at his companion, "And what would you call them?"

Anakin looked up and to the side as if in deep thought before settling on, "Adventures."

The older man laughed at this, "That's one way to look at it."

Upon dropping the last syllable of his remark, the door before them opened, revealing a massive hallway. Twenty meters wide and at least a hundred meters long between the two ascending staircases, the corridor floor covered with a seemingly soft red carpeting. Along the wall the lift was from, a series of twenty meter-wide transparisteel windows reaching high to the ceiling and equidistant from each other allowed the bright light of Coruscant Prime to cascade into the area, casting everything in a soft orange hue from the early morning sunrise. Directly opposite the lift, a group of five durasteel doors, each three or so meters in width and height, stood. Each of these doors remained closed, both the thick metal plates coming to meet in the middle. Above each door was a small phrase denoting the function of each room. The shining black font, a stark contrast to the almost pure white marble of the wall behind it, said above the door furthest to the right, "War Room."

The second the door was completely open, the pair quickly strode out and walked without thought to the right, towards the door furthest to the right. Once within a meter of the door, it automatically opened, revealing a large holoprojector in the middle of the room. Surrounding the massive machine, albeit from a meter or so away, was a series of three terraced benches that curved along the edges of the room. A small ramp connected the area immediately around the holoprojector and the threshold of now open door. Along that ramp was a small walkway with a rounded roof as wide and high as the door it proceeded from. The room was cast in a bright white light from some unknown source on the ceiling, illuminating almost every corner.

Standing around the holoprojector was a small group of five beings, all dressed in similar clothes as the recent arrivals. The one facing away from them in front of the device was a man of the same species, only with a darker skin complexion, and who's head was completely free from hair save for the peppered-black eyebrows. His attire was of the same bright color as the older of the pair. He seemed to be hunched over, his hands gripping the sides of the holoprojector as he stared at something the pair could not yet see. To this man's right, a green, Nautolan male with a plethora of long tentacles stemming from atop his head stood with his arms crossed, his massive black eyes studying whatever was displayed as well. He, too, wore light tan robes and trousers, like the human beside him. Across from the darker-skinned Jedi was another humanoid, with all the appearance of a human save for his elongated, wrinkled head. He, like the human across from him, hadn't a single strand of hair atop his head. His face, seemingly of equal proportions of that of a typical human face, adorned with a large, bright white beard, a rail-thin white mustache, and similarly colored eyebrows. This man was clad in a dark brown, almost black sleeveless robe, under which was a neutral tan under tunic which covered his arms, the rest of his attire being the same as the previous two. While his left hand was tucked away in the crook of his right arm, his right hand stroked his mustache and beard in a continuous motion as if deep in thought. Beside him was another humanoid, again male, with a dark brown skin tone and a series of dulled horns atop his head, behind which was a long mane of black hair. His arms, covered like the rest of his torso in a grey tunic peppered with black spots throughout, were crossed across his chest as he studied the images before him. Finally, to the original man's left was a human male with a head of short, white hair and of a fair complexion. Unlike the others around him, this aged man had over his Jedi tunics a dull, metal armor chest and back plate, a pair of armored shoulder pauldrons, and a pair of protective knee guards of similar material. He stood with his left hand resting the crook of his right arm, his right hand gently stroking his small, white beard. Even from the entrance, the pair of newcomers could clearly see the many scars that adorned the human's face.

Upon hearing the door open, each of the figures turned to look at what caused the commotion, eyeing up the two Jedi. The Nautolan smiled and nodded at them as they began going up the ramp. The fair-skinned human merely nodded, as did the long-headed Cerean and horned Zabrak, before turning to look at the display once more. The bald human merely turned his head, seeing who it was before resuming his train-of-thought. Anakin, already to the older man's right, walked to stand between the Nautolan and dark-skinned human while his companion moved between the two humans.

"Good for you to finally join us, my friend." the green humanoid merrily said while slapping Anakin on the back.

Anakin produced a wide smile at this, and replied with equal merriment, "Come now, Master Fisto! I wouldn't miss this for the galaxy."

The Cerulean male smiled faintly upon hearing this, and responded facetiously, "Evidently, if the last five meeting are anything to go by."

Anakin's smile morphed into a self-deprecating grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, responding lamely, "I, uh, had other things I had to... attend to."

The smile on the ginger-haired man's face only grew while the other human male with pale skin cocked his left eyebrow up questioningly and asked, "Please elaborate on these," then raised both his hands to eye-level, bending the index and middle fingers several times while he continued, "'other things.'"

"Enough!" the dark-skinned human male bellowed, drawing the attention of all in the room, "We can get a thorough report on why Knight Skywalker is consistently absent at a later time. Right now, we have the War to consider."

Anakin nodded in his direction, "I agree. We need to get back to the task at hand."

Both the dark-skinned male and lighter skinned ginger rolled their eyes, but it was only the former who replied, "Now then, let's begin."

Upon finishing his statement, the room darkened considerably as the holoprojector in the middle of the room lit up, the three-dimensional image of the galaxy casting a soft blue light on every nearby surface. The Western-half of the galaxy darkened considerably, and the remaining half was divided by a pair of colored planes, one red and the other blue, running along the outer edge of the galaxy, forming a reversed crescent with a handful of small and medium-sized spheres, all with thin corridors connecting these spheres to the overall crescent and each other. Next a series of white tubes began crossing the galaxy, branching out like a tree in every direction, connecting every corner with the other like that of a circulatory system.

The hologram zoomed in to the Galactic North-West, just off the border of the Mid-Rim, revealing a region known as the Belsmuth Sector, then further in to a single star system featuring five planets orbiting a Class-K sun. The second planet orbiting the sun was then highlighted in a bright white light, the name "New Bornalex" appearing underneath in Galactic Basic.

"The planet of New Bornalex is of incredible importance to the Serenno Theater." intoned the bald human, "As you can see, it lies on a direct path to Serenno and Celanon, both Separatists fortress-worlds and both vital for the Separatist war-effort."

As he continued talking, the world was engulfed in a blue light, portions of the sphere lighting up red, "Our forces on New Bornalex are under heavy assault and are unable to secure the stellar region without reinforcements."

He then straightened up, crossing his arms and taking on an intimidating countenance, "Any suggestions?"

_Two Hours Later _

The massive door on the far right of the hallway opened up suddenly, spewing forth the Jedi from earlier, the ginger and Anakin in front. The crowd quickly dispersed after the passing of a handful of pleasantries, leaving Anakin and his companion alone in the lift once more. The sun, having risen more, gleamed brilliantly off of the shining durasteel surfaces of the stratuscrappers, forcing Anakin and the ginger to squint momentarily as they entered the lift, turning around quickly away from the bright sunlight. Once they had their backs to the transparisteel, the older man pressed down on the button labeled, "24", causing said button to give off a verdant glow.

Together they sat in comfortable silence, each tapping their feet in alternating synchronized fashion while having their hands clasped firmly on the small of their backs. Before long, the lift stopped with the digital red letters displaying "24" in Basic, followed by the doors opening to reveal a hallway similar to the original in build and aesthetic. Our two heroes then stepped out, the older taking the lead with Anakin behind him and on his right by a step in both directions, then turned to the right. Through the hallway they walked, each step precise and synchronized, as they held their chins confidently high. This new path was roughly six or seven meters in width, with dozens of durasteel doors equidistant from each other, a plaque to the right at human eye-level of each door denoting the room number and resident in Basic. Together they continued their trek past five pairs of doors before stopping, turning to the right of their direction to face room number, "24-0011". The auburn-haired man then waved his hand, opening the door and revealing a short walkway leading to a small living room. The only visible features of this room were the small meter-wide transparisteel window with a small, flourishing garden of exotic plants; a knee-high caf table made of some dark wood and austere in appearance, which itself was paired with a single cream-colored chair able to seat one human-sized being with its back to the window and a part of a larger, cream-colored couch along the right wall; and a pair of meter-wide and two-meter high durasteel doors resting on the left wall.

With the older man taking the lead, the pair entered the room, revealing the couch earlier was able to seat three human-sized sapients, and a bar immediately to the right of the end of the walkway, a myriad of variously colored drinks adorned the three stands built into the wall, each contained in various bottle, each as unique as Aleraanian snowflakes. The ginger turned right into the bar, pulling out from one of the cabinets beneath the wall-connected island two small glasses.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked as Anakin continued walking past the bar and towards the couch, sitting in the section furthest from the chair nearby.

"I don't care." Anakin replied offhandedly, leaning back in the couch in a vain attempt to get comfortable.

The older man merely shrugged before producing an amber-colored bottle from the bottom rack, pouring the liquid into the glasses until there was but two or three centimeters separating the liquid form the lip of the glass. So skilled was he in this task that not a drop of the alcohol was outside the glasses, his experienced hand going back to the bottle's cap and reapplying the part in one fluid motion. After placing the bottle back where it was earlier, he turned and grasped the glasses in each hand, moving quickly towards the couch where his friend still squirmed in mild discomfort. Placing one on the table close to his friend, he held the remaining in his left hand was he walked to the chair nearby, taking a careful seat while nursing the drink. Once he was securely in the chair, he leaned forward, placing the drink on the table before leaning back to examine Anakin. Quite conscious of his old mentor's scrutiny, Anakin quickly grasped the beverage, gulping it down quickly and greedily, his face scrunching up in discomfort a second later.

"So what is it that you had to say?" the man asked tonelessly while remaining leaned back in the chair, his arms resting on the seemingly-comfortable armrests.

Anakin blinked his eyes open several times, his face returning to normal slowly before he straightened his back, sighing lightly then responding, "I have a confession, and you might want to bring that bottle here. You'll need it."

The old master furrowed his brow in confusion before lifting his right hand off of its resting place, the palm of his hand facing the cabinet of alcohol. Once his arm stilled the bottle he previously used floated effortlessly away from its companions and towards the pair, ending its flight in his outstretched hand.

Once his eyes focused enough to see Anakin dumbstruck look, he simply said, "I have a feeling I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

Anakin merely nodded as his old master poured him another drink, polishing off his own before refilling it and taking another full drink. upon finishing his second, he filled his glass again and set the bottle on the coffee table, his face remaining as stoic as ever before.

"Well," Anakin stalled momentarily, considering each word as if they were his last, "I'm not quite sure where to begin, so I'll just start from the earliest point and work my way forward."

He paused again for just a short moment, causing the older man to lean forward slightly more, "Last night, as I was sleeping, I think I had a vision."

The ginger reared back slightly, his brow deeply furrowed as his companion continued, "They were just like the ones I had before my mother died. They were so...vivid, it was like I could reach out and touch the people in these _scenes_, but there's nothing I can do for them."

"People?" the master calmly inquired, "Who did you see, Anakin, and what happens to them?"

Burying himself in the couch, Anakin continues, "I saw...you, and, uh, me. In separate scenes, though. I was...on the front steps of the Temple, with the five-oh-first behind me. You were in a medical room, I think, with..."

This pause extended longer than the auburn-haired man cared to handle, prompting him to all but yell, "Anakin!"

"Padmé." he replied silently, causing his old master's face to scrunch up in confusion.

"Padmé?" he echoed to himself as his eyes drifted elsewhere.

Once his focused himself on Anakin again, he inquired cautiously, "Why was Senator Amidala in your vision, Anakin?"

"I think it has something to do with our... um, our..." he paused again, licking his lips and continuing silently before his old mentor could prompt him to continue again, "marriage."

The older man blinked his eyes several times in shock, then leaned back a bit, leaving his arms where they were as he thought for a moment. Anakin waited with bated breath as his companion's face remained furrowed in confusion, his gaze unfocused.

A second later, he leaned forward again and stated with thinly veiled anger, "I'm sorry Anakin. I'm afraid I misheard you. It _sounded_ like you said you were-"

He was cut off when Anakin, having leaned forward with his chin held high in confidence, stated calmly, "Married."

He then turned to focus on his mentor's eyes, which has narrowed considerably in fury, "Padmé and I are a couple, bound together by the Force, much like a planet to its star."

The ginger breathed heavily for several seconds before retorting, "I'm waiting for the punchline, Anakin."

Anakin shook his head, "There is none, Obi-Wan. I-I feel that I should tell you now rather than later. It feels wrong keeping that part of my life from my best friend."

Obi-Wan's eyes softened just a fraction as he countered with slightly less venom, "I can't believe you would be so..._foolish_."

He then leaned back, his right hand going up with his index finger pointed upwards, "Actually," before recoiling it down to the rest of his fingers, "I can see you doing something so short-sighted," then shook his head, "but not Senator Amidala. She seems so...rational."

"Hey!" Anakin warned, offended.

Obi-Wan waved this off, "Nevermind that Anakin. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Followed my heart." Anakin announced confidently, "I followed the will of the Force. The fact that it led me to Padmé is beyond my control."

"How did you come to that brilliant conclusion?" Obi-Wan asked sarcastically.

Ignoring his friend's facetious attitude, Anakin answered, "It nudged me to her direction, and her to mine. It compelled me to confess my feelings to her, and hers to me. It facilitated the creation of the deep bond we share today."

When Obi-Wan failed to respond, Anakin pressed on, "There's more, Master."

Obi-Wan sighed deeply as if he'd taken a hit to the gut, "How can there be more?"

As Obi-Wan poured himself another drink, Anakin said, "You two were in the same part of the vision. She was...lying down, on a medical cot, screaming. You were there, comforting her, but I wasn't."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows deepened even more, "Why was she screaming?"

Anakin began rubbing the back of his neck, "I think she was, uh... pregnant."

"Force-damn it, Anakin!" Obi-Wan verbally lashed out, no doubt silently thankful the rooms were sound proof.

Anakin winced back, before regaining his confident stature, "Calm down, Obi-Wan! She isn't pregnant yet... I think."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan furiously yells.

"Alright!" Anakin replied defensively, "I'm just trying to, I don't know, lighten the mood or something."

"Well you're doing a terrible job!" Obi-Wan retorted.

He then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if a headache was rearing its ugly head, "I need to think Anakin. Meditate on this. I'll comm. you when I've come to some decision before I do anything."

As he swallowed the entire contents of his full glass, Anakin rose from his seat, placing the glass down on the table before them. Once he was standing at his full height, he looked down at Obi-Wan, who was now pouring himself yet another drink.

"I'm sorry, Master," he said sincerely, "I just hope I don't unfairly disgrace your name."

Obi-Wan winced noticeably at this, only recovering just as Anakin finished his bow and turned around. He opened his mouth as if about to say something, but stopped before a single syllable could be uttered as his old apprentice took his first steps away, crossing the short distance to the threshold in mere seconds. The door slid open upwards into the top of the frame as he approached, allowing him to enter the hallway and turn left towards the lifts. Once the door closed behind his old apprentice, he gulped the whole glass-full of alcohol, wincing slightly for the first time before setting the glass down, allowing his forehead to rest on his templed hands while he took a break to breath and sort things out.


End file.
